• 06 May 2024
• Admin
• News Article

Walgreens, Boehringer Ingelheim Collaborate to Improve Diversity in Clinical Trials

Overview

Walgreens, an integrated healthcare, pharmacy and retail leader, and Boehringer Ingelheim, a biopharmaceutical company active in both human and animal health, announced a strategic collaboration aiming to optimize recruitment and making clinical trials more accessible, inclusive and equitable.

Impacts of Collaboration

• This collaboration will offer people an opportunity to learn about and potentially participate in an important phase III clinical trial within the familiar and accessible environment of Walgreens pharmacies, reflecting a shared vision to expand access to healthcare and research.
• Joint collaborations will bring Boehringer Ingelheim’s phase III clinical trial to communities via Walgreens pharmacy clinical trial centers.

Trial Sites for People with Obesity

• Through this collaboration, Boehringer Ingelheim will leverage select Walgreens community pharmacies as clinical trial sites for people living with obesity, overweight and type 2 diabetes. 
• The effort aims to dismantle barriers, improve access, and address equitable health representation in clinical trials, especially among Black and Hispanic adults who are more likely to have obesity in the US and have historically been underrepresented.

Words from Walgreens

• “Embracing our pharmacy clinical trial centers in this study underscores our joint commitment to community health and innovation,” said Ramita Tandon, chief clinical trials officer at Walgreens. 
• “This model not only provides foundational education on clinical research for patients but also empowers individuals, offering them a new pathway to engage in their healthcare through clinical trial participation. It’s a step forward in transforming the landscape of clinical research, helping to make clinical trials more inclusive and accessible.”

More Partnerships

• Additionally, Boehringer is partnering with EmVenio Research to complement this initiative by introducing mobile research units to extend reach and provide additional options for participation.

Words from Boehringer Ingelheim US

• “Boehringer is proud to embrace this community-centric approach to clinical research with Walgreens and EmVenio,” said Lennart Jungersten, senior vice president, medicine & regulatory affairs at Boehringer Ingelheim US. 
• “By bringing clinical trials into the heart of local communities, we’re making them more accessible, helping to provide access to diverse populations with pressing health needs to participate in our clinical trials. Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to helping those living with overweight and obesity to transform lives for generations to come.”

Ovesity: Epidemiology

• It is estimated that over 1 billion people in the world live with obesity, and numbers are continuing to rise, with an estimated 24% of the entire world population affected by 2035. 
• Obesity is included among cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (C-R-M) diseases, and, collectively, these are the leading cause of death worldwide.

Words from President: EmVenio Research

• “At EmVenio, we believe that innovation is meaningful and access to clinical trial research should be universal. Our partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim exemplifies our commitment to breaking down barriers and expanding access to transformative healthcare solutions,” says Thad Wolfram, President, EmVenio Research. 
• “By bringing clinical trials directly to local communities, we're not just conducting research, we're fostering inclusivity and diversity in clinical trials.”

Setting a New Benchmark

• Leveraging pharmacies and mobile research units for clinical trial research is a forward-thinking approach with the potential to enhance patient outcomes and set a new benchmark for inclusivity. 
• Walgreens will also utilize advanced, real-world insights to identify and engage potential study participants as part of the collaboration.

Boehringer Ingelheim on CVS 

• Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to improving the lives of people living with interconnected cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (C-R-M) diseases. 
• Its ambition is to create innovative, people-centric solutions for those living with one or more C-R-M diseases, to protect them from the consequences of these conditions.

C-R-M Diseases

• Affecting over 1 billion lives globally, C-R-M diseases – including overweight and obesity – are the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for up to 20 million deaths annually. 
• C-R-M diseases are interconnected, coexist and can amplify one another, resulting in a significant burden on patients' lives. 
• It is estimated that over 1 billion people in the world live with obesity, and numbers are continuing to rise, with an estimated 24% of the entire world population affected by 2035.  

Walgreens is included in the US Retail Pharmacy and US Healthcare segments of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc., an integrated healthcare, pharmacy and retail leader with a 170-year heritage of caring for communities. WBA’s purpose is to create more joyful lives through better health.

Boehringer Ingelheim

• Boehringer Ingelheim is a biopharmaceutical company active in both human and animal health. 
• As one of the industry’s top investors in research and development, the company focuses on developing innovative therapies in areas of high unmet medical need.

EmVenio Research

EmVenio Research provides rapid and scalable mobile community research site solutions to better reach and recruit diverse, underrepresented and high-risk communities.